London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Kimjang gets a UNESCO listing

Kimjang, the making and sharing of kimchi in the Republic of Korea, was admitted to the UNESCO register of intangible cultural heritage on 5 December 2013. Note that, like the listing of Arirang, this pan-Korean cultural item has been registered by South Korea. Links: Kimjang page at UNESCO Update 13 December: The South China Morning … [Read More]

“Arirang” looks to be safeguarded at UNESCO for (South) Korea

After last year’s scare that China was laying claim to Arirang, Korea’s most famous folk-song, it looks like UNESCO will soon be listing it as part of Korea’s intangible heritage (source: Korea Times / Cultural Heritage Administration). But the song, which is loved throughout the peninsula and in Korean communities elsewhere, is to be registered … [Read More]

The genealogy of gayageum sanjo

Interesting article on the genealogy of kayageum sanjo in an interview with Yang Seung-hee, holder of Korea’s intangible cultural property #23. Yang is striving to pass down the legacy of Kim Chang-jo, who is considered the father of modern sanjo. http://bit.ly/gqrO5k # [Read More]

Presenting intangible cultural heritage in Bucheon

Monday 3 May 2010. Bucheon, a city of around 850,000 people in Gyeonggi-do just 40 minutes’ drive West from Seoul, is home of the Bucheon World Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo (BICHE), an annual event which showcases some of Korea’s finest performance arts and crafts alongside those of a dozen or so invited countries. The first … [Read More]

2010 Travel Diary #7: The Jongmyo Rituals, part 1

Sunday 2 May 2010. I found it really quite hard to find accessible information online in respect of the Jongmyo rituals. Often, on the UNESCO site, there is documentation which sets out why the submitting country thinks that this particular intangible cultural property is worthy of inscription on the international list. But no such information … [Read More]

Korean heritage at UNESCO

Korea is rightly proud of some of its heritage, much of which has been given official recognition by UNESCO. For those of you who like lists, here are the various items of Korea’s tangible and intangible heritage which have been so listed. Also included below are links to any LKL articles on these treasures. (1) … [Read More]